Nonsurgical treatment of an adult with skeletal Class III malocclusion, anterior crossbite, and an impacted canine

Abstract

Class III malocclusion presents some complexity in terms of diagnosis and treatment and affects not only the jaws but the whole craniofacial complex. Besides, functional forward displacement of the mandible may be diagnosed in a patient presenting Class III malocclusion, as the 2 entities are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. This case report describes the multidisciplinary, nonsurgical, orthodontic treatment of an adult patient with a skeletal Class III malocclusion, anterior crossbite, and a palatally impacted canine, treated with fixed appliances and skeletal anchorage. To upright the mandibular molars, distalize the whole mandibular arch, and avoid excessive inclination of maxillary incisors to improve dentofacial esthetics, miniscrews were placed in the retromolar area. The treatment results were very satisfactory and remained stable after a reasonable retention period.